Footwear.



F. E. w. M O LLER. FOOTWEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-31,1914.

1,166.,Q39. Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEEPJ.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 00.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

F E. w. MULLER.

FOOTWEAR. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31. 1914.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

commum PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

FRANZ ERNST WILI'IELM MULLER, OF ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA.

FOOTWEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 11915.

Application filed January 31, 1914. Serial No. 815,789.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANZ Enns'r WIL- HELMMoLLnR, a subjectof the King of Great Britain, residing at 199 Bundlestreet, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Footwear, of which the following is aspecification. v

This invention relates to improvements in footwear and has to do moreespecially with attachment of removable or false Wearing surfaces.

One object of the invention is to provide means whereby the wearingportions of the heels and soles of boots can be removed and replacedwithout necessitating the use of nails, brads or stitches.

Another object is to provide a heel member which is interchangeable'andis rotatably mounted so that inequalities of wear may be readilyadjusted by rotation of the heel member.

Yet another object is to provide a broad wearing surface for a rotatableheel.

Broadly stated the invention comprises means for attaching wearingsurfaces releasably to a clamping member permanentlyv attached to thefootwear. The invention comprises interchangeable wearing surfaces andcleats permanently attached to the body of the footwear, gripping saidsurfaces.

More particularly defined theinvention consists of a sole and heel platepermanently attached to the upper portion of the body of the boot orshoerand provided with a series of projections adapted to be cleatedover. The portions when cleated over are designed to embrace theinterchangeable wearing surfaces, an outer leather sole or aninterchangeable heel. Again, the interchangeable heel may be attached toan intermediate plate upon which it can readily rotate. y

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein-' Figure 1 is the plan of a fixed heelplate, Fig. 2 section of same, Fig. 3 plan of rotating grip plate withprojections,Fig. 4 plan of Fig. 8 with projections alternatively turnedupward and downward, Fig. 5 side elevation of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 sectionalillustration of Figs. 1 and 5 showing interchangeable wearing heel, Fig.7 side elevation of boot showing lnterchangeable wearing heel attachedin p0- s1t1on, Fig. 8 alternative construction of Fig.

3, Fig. 9 alternative construction of Fig. 1,

Fig. 10 side elevation of boot showing interchangeable heel and soleattached to the continuous metal sole plate, Fig. 11 plan of continuousheel and sole plate showing projections, Fig. 12 alternative arrangementof separable heel and sole plate showing projections and method ofattachment, Fig. 13 side view of heel plate having depressed center,Fig. 14F. alternative arrangement of cleats.

In each of the illustrations similar letters of reference are used todenote similar or corresponding parts wherever they occur.

7 In the drawings a is the fixed heel plate having fastening holes at bfor the reception of nails, brads. or screws. A rotary grip plate isshown at c, and may have holes formed therein at d, such holespreferably being larger than the holes I) so that access may be gainedto the latter if so desired.

The rotary grip plate has a number of projections 6 formed around itsedge, and it may if so desired be furnished with small projections f ofa substantially similar na ture.

The size of the grip plate is such that it is capable of embracing thefixed heel plate, the small projections f being turned upward and inwardas indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, and the plates may be further oralternatively secured together by means of a metal eyelet such as gwhich passes through a central hole in the fixed heel plate and alsothrough a hole in the rotary grip plate, the latter hole being indicatedby dotted lines at h in Figs. l and 8 of the drawings.

The projections e are downwardly and in wardly deflected so as toembrace the wear-' ing heel j as will be well understood'with referenceto Fig. 6 of the drawings, a shallow recess being formed at 70 aroundthe circumference of the heel, which is preferably though notnecessarily round as will be readily understood.

The heel portions above described may either be manufactured separatelyor they may be formed as an integral portion of the sole plate Iillustrated in Fig. 11 of the drawings, the projections f being formedin connection with the sole plate and heel plate substantially as andfor the purposes hereinbefore described, the corresponding sole beingshownat m in Fig. of the drawings, and being of single, double ormultiple thickness of leather. rubber or other material.

In Fig. 12 is illustrated the same principles except that the sole plateis reduced to a narrow strip of metal from which the arms 7 protrude fora sufficient distance to enable their extremities to be cleated over "onto thesole as indicated by the long and short dots in the illustration,and the heel piece may be either separately formed or may be formed'asanintegral portion of the sole plate, being connected thereto as indicatedby the dotted portion n in the same figure. In either case theseportions may be secured to, the upper or permanent sole of the boot'bynails. brads or screws which pass through the holes 5 previouslydescribed.

' In Fig. 13 is shown a depression at 0 in the heel plate which willenable the revolving plate when placed adjacent thereto to rotate withcomparatively little friction, and at 79 in Fig. provision is made for acenter pin or eyelet in the permanent plate for affixing purposes whichacts as arcenter, the underneath plate being a permanent fixture aspreviously described;

Fig. 14 indicates theluse of a series of separate cleats fastened. bybrads or any other convenient means ready for turning over and cleatingfor the retention of wearing surface.

Where the expression metal is usedin the foregoing specification anyother suitable material may be employed, and the wearing soles canlikewise be either of leather or of manufactured substitute material orcompositions, the attachment of the soles to the permanent partof theboots being achieved by, the means previously stated, orby stitching,rivets or any other device. 7

This invention is applicable to a considerable range of footwear, bothfor adults and childrens boots andshoes, and the size and thickness ofthevarious plates may be increased or decreased according to whether theboot is to be used'for light or heavy wear.

This invention is also applicable to toe plates consisting of acomparatively small portion of the device such as the front portionwhich is out off by the lines a; y in Figs. 11 and 12 of the drawings;

The method of using the invention will be obvious from the foregoingdescriptive matter and the drawings. Where the sole and heel plates areboth used the wearing portion is cut to the requisite size of the soleand heel, and is cleated into position, being held by the projections 6,but where my in- .plate. The holder in addition to the various poses,but not so tight as to interfere with or impede the free rotation of therotary grip forms and methods of fixing and shape according to therequirements of customers, adapts itself also as one plate. The holdercan be cleated over the original sole or heel or nailed thereto, thusfirmly adhering to the original sole or heel, also the holder clamps orfirmly holds down the false or wearing heel yet allowing it to revolveso as to regularly distribute the worn portion.

What I claim is 1. In footwear, the combination of a plate arranged tobe fixed to a heel, a lower plate having alternate upwardly anddownwardly turned peripheral tangs,the upwardly turned tangs beingarranged to embrace the edge of said heel plate and a removable wearingheel member gripped by the downwardly turned tangs of said lower plate.

2. In footwear, the combination of a circular heel plate provided withholes for fixing to the permanent heel of the footwear, a rotary gripplate having alternate upwardly and downwardly turned peripheral tangs,the upwardly turned tangs being arranged to embrace the edge of saidheel plate 0.-

sufiiciently tightly for holding purposes but not interfering with thefree rotation of the grip plate, and a removable wearing heel gripped bythe downwardly turned tangs of said grip plate.

3. In footwear, the combination of a circular heel plate provided withholes for fixing to the permanent heel of the footwear, a rotary gripplate having alternate upwardly and downwardly turned peripheral tangs,the upwardly turned tangs embracing the edge of said heel platesutliciently tightly for holding purposes but not interfering with thefree rotation of the grip plate, a metallic eyelet rotatably connectingsaid heel plate and grip plate, and a removable wearing heel membergripped by the downwardly turned tangs of said grip plate.

4:- A rotary interchangeable heel member for footwear, consisting in thecombination of a circular metal plate arranged to be rotatably securedto the permanent heel of the footwear and provided with peripheraldownwardly projecting cleats, and a circular interchangeable heel padencompassed and gripped by said cleats.

5. A rotary interchangeable heel member for footwear, consisting in thecombination of a circular metal plate, fastening means arranged tosecure said plate to the permanent heel of the footwear, a second metalIn testimony whereof I have signed my plate having peripheral cleatssome upname to this specification in the presence of Wardly turned togrip said first-named plate two subscribing Witnesses.

and the remainder downwardly turned and FRANZ ERNST WILHELM MilLLER. acircular interchangeable heel pad encom- Witnesses:

passed and gripped by said downwardly L. O. W. WILGKEN,

turned cleats. A. WILLINGTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

